Articles by Glenn Astarita
Christian Dillingham: As It Relates To Now
by Glenn Astarita
Bassists who spearhead recordings encounter a fundamental challenge. The apparatus that anchors the ensemble remains the most difficult to position at the forefront without the result appearing as a gimmick. Christian Dillingham evades this pitfall on As It Relates To Now not through excessive technical displays, but by ensuring every choice carries weight. The double bass does not merely exist for exhibition; it governs the proceedings. The selection of a trio--comprising Dillingham, Greg Ward on alto saxophone, and ...
Continue ReadingMichael Formanek: New Digs
by Glenn Astarita
Michael Formanek has never been content to anchor a bandstand and call it a career. Over decades of work--from sideman stints with Stan Getz and Joe Henderson to the long-running Thumbscrew trio with Mary Halvorson and Tomas Fujiwara--he has operated as a composer and architect, building rooms rather than merely inhabiting them. New Digs recorded over two days in jny: Torres Vedras, Portugal, stands as an ambitious project via this seven-piece trans-Atlantic ensemble shaped by a precise sonic design.
Continue ReadingChristoph Irniger and Marc Perrenoud: New Lines
by Glenn Astarita
Christoph Irniger and Marc Perrenoud rank among the most thoughtful voices in Switzerland's contemporary jazz scene. Irniger, trained at the Zurich University of the Arts and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, is best known as leader of the ensemble Pilgrim. Perrenoud, raised in Switzerland, studied at the Geneva Conservatory and the Lausanne jazz school. Although they had known each other for years, the two only began performing together as a duo in 2022--proof, perhaps, that the best musical ...
Continue ReadingMark Wingfield: Elemental
by Glenn Astarita
British guitarist and composer Mark Wingfield has spent decades forging one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz and fusion. Drawing from a rich palette of influences--including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, and global traditions from India, Japan, and Africa--he has built an impressive discography on MoonJune Records and his own Dark Energy Music imprint. One of MoonJune's most reliably rewarding artists, Wingfield consistently pushes the boundaries of jazz, progressive rock, and fusion. Widely ...
Continue ReadingNick Freer: Apperceptions
by Glenn Astarita
Australian guitarist Nick Freer makes no secret of his admiration for Allan Holdsworth, and Apperceptions wears that influence proudly, like a sharp suit cut from familiar cloth. Legato runs that melt note boundaries, chord voicings that wander through restless harmonic territory, and melodies approached sideways rather than head-on--it is all there, executed with clear devotion. As a guitar trio with bassist Anton Davidyants and drummer Justin Humphries, the album unfolds as a through-composed suite, each track designed to ...
Continue ReadingSylvie Courvoisier: Eclats - Live in Europe
by Glenn Astarita
Sylvie Courvoisier has never been easy to pin down, which is exactly the point. The Lausanne-born pianist moved to New York City in 1998 and spent the next two-plus decades making herself indispensable to the downtown avant-garde, working alongside John Zorn, Evan Parker, Wadada Leo Smith, and Mark Feldman, among others. She received the Swiss Grand Prix Music and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Music Award in 2025, recognition that felt overdue rather than surprising. Her long-running piano ...
Continue ReadingAdam O'Farrill: Elephant
by Glenn Astarita
On Elephant, trumpeter Adam O'Farrill steers his ensemble through music that is deliberate and quietly volatile. The writing favors asymmetry without sounding academic, and the group responds with alert patience. Moreover, brass lines hover and fracture while the rhythm moves in angled cycles. The album avoids easy dramatics, building tension through restraint. O'Farrill often treats the trumpet as a colorist's tool--sketching edges rather than bold outlines, entering sideways to shade harmony rather than lead it. The band functions ...
Continue ReadingArt Edmaiston & Chad Fowler: Memphis Mandala
by Glenn Astarita
Recorded live in Memphis, Memphis Mandala is led by Art Edmaiston on tenor and soprano saxophones, alongside Chad Fowler's work on stritch and flute. They are backed by a rhythm section that intuitively knows when to push the accelerator and when to let the engine idle in neutral. The result is collective improvisation--with two drummers--that feels less like a performance and more like five people arguing passionately about the meaning of life, only they are using horns and drums instead ...
Continue ReadingJon Irabagon: Focus Out
by Glenn Astarita
Jon Irabagon remains among the most uncompromising voices in contemporary jazz. A first-generation Filipino American from Chicago, he draws deeply from the AACM legacy--Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill, Muhal Richard Abrams--and his home city's tradition of bold, searching saxophone work. Since his 2008 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition win, Irabagon has used his Irabbagast Records imprint to sustain a commitment to fierce originality and collective dialogue. Focus Out serves as a formidable statement from his working quartet, featuring Irabagon ...
Continue ReadingArvind Ramdas: Here We Go
by Glenn Astarita
Arvind Ramdas emerges as a fresh voice in the jazz drumming world, hailing originally from India before planting roots in Vancouver, Canada. With his debut album, Here We Go, Ramdas pays homage to the bebop pioneers who shaped his musical DNA. This collection serves as both a personal milestone and a nod to the Black American jazz tradition, blending respect for the masters with the vitality of a young artist finding his groove. The album leans ...
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